Monday Midday Must-Reads

-Is there room in the aircraft market for a new plane somewhere between a narrowbody and a widebody aircraft? Boeing seems to think so, but in an article by Aviation Week, several airlines say they want only more passenger capacity while others want a longer range in the aircraft. “Given the level of demand for a smaller jet just developing a shrunk version of an aircraft optimized for larger capacity won’t be good enough. Significant investment would likely have to go into it to ensure that key design features such as wings, empennage and engines fit its size and are optimized for the segment,” the article says.

-It may disappear once it’s bought by Alaska Airlines, but Virgin America was named the top U.S. airline for the ninth consecutive year in a row by Travel + Leisure magazine. JetBlue Airways finished second with Singapore Airlines rated as the top international airline, according to USA Today.

-“I really need your planes at my terminal, baby,” says this Bloomberg News article about airports’ attempts to get airlines to start service to their cities. The article describes the “speed-dating” process that airport and airlines’ executives go through at conferences held throughout the year.

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